Western Sydney Women Founder Amanda Rose was quoted in The Australian on the recent focus on women in STEM, sparked by Robin Khuda’s $100m donation to the University of Sydney to support young women from Western Sydney in pursuing STEM careers.

The federal Labor government’s apparent disregard for small businesses, particularly women-owned businesses, has become increasingly evident.

Women comprise one-third of small businesses, a significant number considering small businesses make up 97% of all businesses in Australia, yet none were allowed to participate in the $60 million dollar Building Women’s Careers tender. This oversight contradicts the government's commitment to women's economic security, undermining the principles of International Women's Day.

In contrast, the NSW Government is taking concrete steps to address the problem, ensuring that women-owned businesses are not just casually mentioned in tenders but are actively involved throughout the contract process. They’re also breaking down tenders to make them more accessible to small businesses—something the federal government should have done long ago.